Further to an article penned by the Faculty of Education dean Sandro Caruana (The Sunday Times of Malta, March 6) on the MTL course that will open this coming October for those interested in pursuing a career in teaching, we would like to share a few thoughts about mentoring, which is at the heart of the initial teacher education programme.
In the past years there have been attempts by the Faculty of Education to introduce some form of school-based mentoring as part of initial teacher education (ITE).
A number of initiatives were conducted with student teachers in their initial phase of education and training, which all indicate a general readiness for mentoring to take place. These are accompanied by important developments outside the faculty, which have also paved the way for the eventual introduction of school-based mentoring.
Indeed, a number of key stakeholders outside the faculty who operate in the field of education have declared their support, at least in principle, to give this experience to our student-teachers being based in schools during their field placement.
This support appears to extend across the Education Ministry, policy makers, education directorates, high-ranking administrators from the State, Church and independent school sectors, school leaders and teachers and the teachers’ union. We feel that the local context is ready for the development and implementation of a sustainable school-based mentoring system that can address the professional learning needs of faculty students enrolled in the MTL course.
The outcomes of these local initiatives reflect international research, which suggests that mentoring should become a critical component of any teacher preparation course offered by the faculty. The introduction of teacher mentoring for student teachers in the MTL is fundamental for the proposed programme to succeed. This has been reiterated on several occasions and explained in detail both during the 2015 Faculty of Education Conference and more recently last January.
The mentor should be someone who can listen, is altruistic, non-judgemental and able to motivate others
Several meetings were held to tackle the logistics involved and to break the impasse which, for several years, has impeded the introduction of teacher mentoring for student teachers, largely because of low-level issues. In fact, it is clear that all stakeholders involved agree on the principles related to the teacher mentoring for student teachers and concur on the necessity of introducing this in all our schools.
ITE is now calling for a new way in which people grow. The mentor is often portrayed as a ‘critical friend’, someone endowed with the ability to challenge the mentees in their care to re-examine their teaching while providing encouragement and support (Furlong and Maynard, 1995).
The mentor observes the trainee and provides feedback. This systematic approach familiarises the trainee with a list of agreed behaviours that are, at least in part, specified by others. In school-based mentoring, the teacher mentor provides guidance and support to trainee teachers. To be able to do this, mentors will have to be individuals, often teachers, who have ‘mastered the profession’. Good teacher mentors are effective and committed practitioners who cherish lifelong professional learning and who, in addition to their teaching experience and the resulting teaching craft knowledge, also possess skills and human qualities that facilitate the mentoring process.
For instance, the mentor should be someone who can listen and show empathy, is altruistic, non-judgemental and also able to motivate others to continue along the journey as they face the multiple challenges of being a teacher. We feel that mentoring is important because our understanding of learning has matured. ITE should not be the exclusive dominion of the higher education institution. We believe that schools and teachers can play an important role and different stakeholders can contribute to enhance the ITE experience. We are viewing the roles of the faculty and of schools as not actually distinct but as amalgamated.
This will help to address the theory and practice divide which often results as problematic in the preparation of professionals. Mentoring allows teachers and students to come together in structured episodes where they can reflect on their practice and learn from each other.
Engagement, reflection, collaboration, sharing, care and altruism highlight the spirit of mentoring as it helps to institutionalise the importance which values and principles have for the growth and development of the individual. Thanks to mentoring, the teachers-to-be are now learning that teaching is an act of collaboration and they need to work together.
Developing and maintaining a mentoring programme is an important strategy to ensure ongoing opportunities for professional and personal growth and increased satisfaction. We believe that a system of mentoring will help make teaching an appealing and responsive profession where that sense of altruism and service abounds.
Michelle Attard Tonna is a lecturer responsible for mentoring and Christopher Bezzina is a professor in educational leadership, both forming part of the Department of Leadership for Learning and Innovation, Faculty of Education, University of Malta.